Garage door locking and release device



March 8, 1960 J, o, REA ETAL 2,927,811

GARAGE DOOR LOCKING AND RELEASE DEVICE Filed July 19, 1956 I I! II James 0. Rea Robert B Wheaf INVENTORS United States Patent GARAGE DUOR LOCKING DEVICE James O. Rea and Robert B. Wheat, Garland, Tex.; said Rea assignor of seven and one-half percent to Robert Ashley, Dallas, Ten, and said Wheat assignor ofseven and one-halfpercent to Robert Ashley, Dallas, Tex., and said Wheat assignor of forty-two and one-half percent to Varo Manufacturing Company, Garland, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application July 19, 1956, Serial No. 598,788

7 Claims. (Cl. 292-164) A D RELEASE This invention relates to overhead doors, more particularly to locking devices for such doors. I

Overhead doors generally are of the balanced type, the balancing being achieved by means 'of counterweights or springs. The counter-balancing is usually adjusted slightly under a balanced condition so that the door will remain closed when pulled down. Various latches and locks are made to secure the doors,-some being of the self-latching or locking types. When the latter are used, mechanical or electrical releasing or unlocking means are frequently provided, controlled at a suitable point on either or both sides of the doors. In such cases the doors are over-balanced and thus become self-opening. For garage doors, the control is usually arranged across the path of entrance and operated by the wheels of the approaching automotive vehicle. Sometimes the control is mounted alongside within easy reach ving weight, the weight being released by pneumatic means operated by the wheels of an approaching automotive vehicle. An overhead door, for example, in connection with which the device can be used to particular advantage, would be over-balanced so that the door would open itself when the locking-bolt is withdrawn. The weight whichrnoves the bolt is restored to its normal position by the change of position of the overhead door from vertical to horizontal when it opens. The pneumatic means for releasing the weight referred to consists mainly of a cylinder and plunger connected to a closed flexible tube which is placed across the path of the approach of the vehicle a relatively short distance from the front of the door. The weight is retained in normal position by a bar operated latching device, and the cylinder and plunger are mounted so that outward movement of the plunger will move the bar to release the weight.

When a wheel crosses the flexible tube the air within it is compressed and its pressure transferred to the underside of the plunger in the air cylinder, lifting the bar. A key-lock stop-valve of conventional manufacture is placed in the connection between the cylinder and the flexible tube, and located to be conveniently reached from outside the door. When the valve is turned in off position no air pressure can be transferred to the cylinder and plunger, and consequently the door is semeans for opwhich can be easily But all of these control devices are either 1 4-is a general designation of the housing of the locking mechanism, which has the base 11, the end walls 12,

V curely locked. A second cylinder and plunger are provided adjacent the one just mentioned to actuate the same weight releasing bar. A separate flexible air tube is connected at one end to the second cylinder and to a flexible hand-bulb at the other end. This bulb is located at any convenient point interior of the door and cornpressing the bulb unlocks the device in the same manner as already described.

Other objects and advantages of apparent to those skilled in the ,art from the detailed de* scription to be given presently, when considered in con: nection with the claims and drawingaccompanying this application. The drawing illustrates one form of the locking device, made in accordance with the invention,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is vertical section through. an over-head door ing to and along an interior wall with a flexible bulb' attached to the end thereof.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through housing of the. mechanism, the top portion of the door and a portion of the wall above the door opening, showing the mechanism in locked position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the mechanism in the unlocked position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 "in the direction indicated. l Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the Weight, the releasing bar and the air cylinders.

Continuing now with the more detailed description of the invention, reference numeral 10, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and

13, the side walls 14, 15, and the interior wall 16, parallel to and substantially the same height as said wall 13.

The said housing is secured by the screws 17, 18, to the 8 .top 19, of a conventional overhead door 20. The locked on shaft 30, which extends between and is supported by said housing side walls.- :The arm 28, is connected to the end of said rod 23, by the linkage 31, 32. The weight 33 is mounted on the end of arm 29, and positioined ofi-center with respect to the shaft 30, towardlthe wall 13. The pin 34, having the tapered head 35, is mounted on the side 36, of said weight. A plate 37, hav-- .ing the openings 38, 39, is supported on the end wall 12, by the bolt 40, and the nuts 41, 42, 43. The off-set bar.

44, is pivotally mounted on said plate by the bearing pin 45. When said weight is up, as in Fig. 2 said pin 34 extends through said opening 38, and .the said bar 44 rests upon said pin 34, behind said tapered head 35, to hold,- said weight in said position. The stud 46 is mounted at;

right angle on said bar near its end 47, so as to extend through said opening 39, in said plate. The diameter of said opening 39, in relation to the size of said stud, establishes the swing of said bar about its pivot. Two cylinders 48, 49, containing plungers 50, 51, respectively, are mounted in an upright position on said plate by the bracket 53, and screws 54, under the opposite end 52,

of said off-set bar, said cylinders being arranged so that upward movement of either or both plungers will contact said ofiset bar and lift it. Each of said cylinders has a Patented Mar... 8,. 1960f the invention will'be V across the auto pathway to the door.

conduit 55, 56, respectively, connected to the lower end. The conduit 55 extends downwardly along the door supporting structure 57 to a point near the door pivoting axis 58, and then to the. exterior of the door where it is connected to a compressible tube or enclosure 55a, placed A key-lock stopvalve 55b, is connected in said conduit 55, and located at a point conveniently reached from the outside. When this valve is turned to off position the weight releasing mechanism becomes inoperative, and consequently the door is securely locked. The conduit 56, likewise extends to a point near said axis and then to any convenient location interior of the door, terminating in a hand bulb, 56a. An opening 59, is provided in the wall 60, which spans the door opening, opposite said lock-bolt, and a strike-plate 61 is mountedby screws 62, on said Wall over said opening.

The normal position of the mechanism, when the door is closed and locked, is shown in Fig. 2. If the key-lock stop-valve is open and the wheel of an automotive vehicle crosses the compressible tube or enclosure 55a the air within it is compressed and the pressure created is transferred to the cylinder and underside of the plunger 50, forcing it in an upward direction. This lifts the bar 44, from behind the tapered head 35, of the pin 34, releasing the weight 33. As the weight is mounted off center, the weight falls, moving the bell-crank 27, with it. Due to the linkage 31, 32, the weight falls freely until it has traveled substantially 45 degrees, at which point the linkage has assumed its maximum length. Further fall of the weight and consequent turning of the bell-crank overcomes the resistance of the spring 26 and withdraws the lock-bolt from the opening 59 and the strike plate 61, thus releasing the door (Fig. 3). The springs of the door mechanism are over-balanced causing the door to rise and open. In Figs. 2, 3, the door movement is counter-clockwise when opening. 'As the door attains its full open position, the locking device is turned 90 degrees with the door, causing the weight to return to initial position in relation to the lock-housing, the tapered head 35 of the pin 34 moving the bar 44 to permit the head to move completely through the aperture 38 as the weight returns to its initial position. Since the bearing pin 45 is now in substantially vertical position, the bar 44 will not tend to move behind the head 35. At the same time the spring returns the lock-bolt to its initial position.

The door, of course, must be closed manually, and as this is done, the lock-bolt is forced inwardly by the strike plate, until the door reaches the fully closed position at which time the spring returns the bolt into the opening in the strike plate and wall behind it. Simultaneously as the door approaches its closed position the ofiset bar falls behind the head of the pin mounted on the weight as already explained. The same cycle of operation occurs when the hand bulb is compressed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made in the form illustrated and described herein without departing from the invention, and it is intended that the specification and appended claims include such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a door locking and release device, a lever pivotally supported for movement about a horizontal axis, a reciprocal lock bolt, a linkage connecting the bolt and lever permitting limited independent movement of the lever relative to the bolt, a latch engageable with the 4 lever for holding the lever in an upright position, and means for releasing the latch from engagement with the lever to permit downward swinging of said lever for retracting said bolt, said lever being weighted on center of its axis for imparting movement thereto upon release of the latch. 1 p

2. In a door locking and release device as set forth in claim 1 including an off-center weight on one end of the lever, the linkage being attached to the other end of said latch when said lever is in an upright position.

3. In a door locking and release device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the lever is pivotally supported and attached to the linkage at its lower end, the upper end of said lever being weighted.

4. In a door locking and release device as set forth in claim 1 wherein'the latch releasing means includes a fluid cylinder having a reciprocal plunger adjacent the latch for engaging and releasing said latch upon reciprocation of the plunger, and a compressible enclosure communicating with the cylinder and containing fluid for reciprocating said plunger when pressure is applied to the enclosure.

5. In combination with an overhead door, a locking and release device as set forth in claim I mounted on the door for movement therewith, said overhead door being lever, and a catch on the weight for engagement by the movable about a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal axis by which the lever is pivotable whereby said lever pivots to its initial position and engages the latch when the door is swung to a substantially horizontal position.

6. In combination with an overhead garage door, a locking and release device as set forth in claim 1 mounted in the door, wherein the latch releasing means includes a pair of fluid cylinders having reciprocal plungers adjacent the latch for engaging and releasing said latch upon reciprocation of the plungers, and a compressible enclosure for and communicating with each cylinder for reciprocating its plungers when the enclosure is compressed, one of the enclosures being positioned exteriorly of the door for engagement by the wheel of a vehicle, the other enclosure being positioned interiorly of the door.

7. In a door locking and release device: a reciprocable lock bolt; means biasing said lock bolt in one direction toward an operative door-looking position; gravity actuable means movable from an upper position to a lower position for moving said lock bolt in a direction opposite to said one direction to an inoperative position against the resistance of said biasing means; and connecting means connecting said gravity actuable means to said lock bolt, said connecting means permitting limited movement of said gravity actuable means through a predetermined distance from its upper position toward its lower position independent of the lock bolt before said lock bolt is moved toward said inoperative position by further continued movement of said gravity actuable means toward said lower position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,148 Smith July 10, 1883 985,142 Carter Feb. 28, 1911 1,615,120 Fischer Jan. 18, 1927 2,665,932 Moler Jan. 12, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,446 Austria Jan. 10, 1903 

